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Brigham Young Cougars in the NFL, Week 2: Pitta, Keisel Show Well; Will Harvey Unga get promoted?

There was a solid showing from former Brigham Young Cougars in week two of the NFL season, as Dennis Pitta continued to show he is a receiving threat and Brett Keisel looked healthy again for the Steelers. Dallas Reynolds and John Denney also saw action for their respective teams.

DennisPitta, Baltimore Raves, Tight End

Pitta led the team in receiving for the second week in a row, recording eight catches for 65 yards, in a 24-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Also for the second week in a row, Pitta was thrown to more than any other receiver, this time being targeted 15 times. It seems Pitta is one of the, if not the, favorite target for Joe Flaco this season.

Stats

Thisweek: 8 receptions, 65 yards, 0 touchdowns

Season: 13 receptions, 138 yards, 1 touchdown

BaltimoreRavens: 1-1

Next: New England Patriots

Brett Keisel, Pittsburgh Steelers, Defensive End

After only seeing limited action in the season opener after an ankle injury, Keisel was back and looked healthy, recording five tackles in the Steelers’ win over the New York Jets. Keisel was fourth on the team in tackles, helping the Pittsburgh defense hold Mark Sanchez to just 10 of 27 passing and 138 yards.

Stats

Thisweek: 5 tackles (1 solo)

Season: 6 tackles (2 solo)

PittsburghSteelers: 1-1

Next: at Oakland Raiders

Dallas Reynolds, Philadelphia Eagles, Offensive Line

Reynolds saw the first action of his NFL career at Center against the Baltimore Raves, as the regular starter Jason Kelce sprained his knee and had to be carted into the locker room. Reynolds will likely see continued action at Center, at least until Kelce returns. Just two plays after Reynolds entered the game, the Eagles scored making it 17-14, Baltimore. They finished the comeback and won 24-23.

Philadelphia Eagles: 1-1

Next: at Arizona Cardinals

John Denney, Miami Dolphins, Long Snapper

Denney saw more action than usual, as the Dolphins scored five touchdowns for at 35-13 win over Oakland. The 35 points was well above last year’s season scoring average of 20.5 for Miami. Denney took long snapping duties for all five successful extra point attempts. He also came onto the field for seven punts, one of which he ran down the field and downed.

Miami Dolphins: 1-1

Next: New York Jets

Austin Collie, Indianapolis Colts, Wide Receiver

Did not play, as the Colts won 23-20 over the Minnesota Vikings. Collie was listed as doubtful all week as he is still recovering from a concussion suffered in the preseason.

Stats

No stats recorded yet.

Indianapolis Colts: 1-1

Next: Jacksonville Jaguars

John Beck, Houston Texans, Quarterback

Did not play, as Texans won 27-7 over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Stats

No stats recorded yet.

Houston Texans: 2-0

Next: at Denver

In other Brigham Young Cougar NFL news, the Green Bay Packers cut linebacker Vic So’oto from the squad this week. After placing him on the injured reserve to start the season, the Packers decided to part ways with So’oto.

Also, with Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte injured, the Bears are looking to either promote Harvey Unga from the practice squad or bring in a new free agent running back.

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BYU football has been pretty hard to watch in 2017, particularly on offense. After game two, a 27-0 loss to LSU, Head Coach Kalani Sitake said, "I know I am coming down hard on the offense, but, man, let's be honest, that was the issue." The offensive production hasn't gotten much better since, and Sitake hasn't changed his rhetoric.

Who would blame him? BYU is averaging 9.8 points per game, 4.3 yards per play (3.2 yards per rush and 5.2 yards per pass), and 221.75 total yards per game. The Cougar offense has converted just 34 percent of third downs, has averaged 23:47 time of possession, and has a 93.7 pass efficiency rating.

That has some fans speculating that one or more coaches will be fired before the end of the season. That is madness. No one on the BYU coaching staff will be unemployed before the game at Hawaii on November 25.

Making a coaching change midseason is reserved for exceptional cases. Either something happens off the field, or the same problem …

Growing up a fan of BYU football was fun. The foundation had already been laid with the 1984 National Championship, the long list of All-American quarterbacks, and the reputation of being an unstoppable offensive powerhouse. I witnessed Ty Detmer win the Heisman Trophy, Steve Young win Super Bowl MVP honors, and the legendary LaVell Edwards build a team that won the Cotton Bowl and could compete with any team in the country.

It wasn't long ago that Max Hall delivered on his passionate halftime guarantee, "We're going to win," and beat the number 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners. The Cougars did it without running back Harvey Unga, who would set the school's career rushing record later that year.

At that time BYU was on the bubble of busting the BCS every year, and with the legacy that Cougar football has, fans were justified in believing their beloved Cougars were still among the top tier in college football.

The 2017 football season is three games old for BYU. The Cougars have already been shutout once, they have not passed for more than 200 yards in a game, and have no real established playmakers. That is a formula for furious fans in Cougar Nation.

Some fans are calling for a coaching change. Others are preaching patience. A third group wants the offensive coaches to run a different scheme.

It is no secret that offensive coordinator Ty Detmer is not trying to run the same scheme he used as a player at BYU to rewrite the NCAA record book. The offense he wants to run resembles what he learned during his 14 seasons in the NFL.

Lackluster results this year has this approach under scrutiny. After all, Tanner Mangum does not look like the same quarterback who passed for 3,377 yards, 23 touchdowns, and had a 136 pass efficiency rating in Robert Anae's offense as a freshman.

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